BV 

■^4 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Shelf .3-4 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



The LORD'S Day. 



THE 



CHRISTIAN SABBATH 



THE 



First Day of the Week—Not the Seventh. 



PROOFS ADDUCED FROM THE WRITINGS AND EXAM- 
PLES OF THE APOSTLES AND OF 
THEIR SUCCESSORS. 



^\ 



BY 

/ 



H. C. BENSON, D. D., 

AUTHOR OF " LIFE AMONG THE CHOCTAWS," '^SOWING 
AND RIlAPING/' ETC., ETC. 



5^P)/ 



CINCINNATI: 

HITCHCOCK & W^ALDEN. 
NEW YORK: 

PHILLIPS & HUNT. 

1880. 



^ 






Copyright by 

HITCHCOCK & WALDEN. 

1880. 



NOTE. 



THIS paper was read before the San Fran- 
cisco Preacher's Meeting, Rev. Dr. M. 
C. Briggs presiding; also before the Ministerial 
Association of Petaluma District, Rev. Geo. 
Clifford, Presiding Elder, presiding. Each 
body, by a unanimous vote, requested its pub- 
lication in permanent or book form for general 
circulation on the Pacific coast and elsewhere. 

H. C. B. 



PREFACE. 



'T^HE author of these pages had no 
thought of writing a book. When 
written to and urged to prepare an argu- 
ment in support of the Christian Sabbath, 
as observed by the great body of beHevers 
during the centuries and in all portions of 
Christendom, he hesitated. The circum- 
stances were substantially these : 

An organization of Sabbatarians, call- 
ing themselves "Seventh-day Adventists, '' 
commenced missionary and evangelistic work 
on this coast some twelve or fifteen years 
ago. They travel through the country, cir- 
culating their pamphlets and tracts, spend- 
ing a fortnight or a month in a place ; they 
deliver lectures on prophec}^ and with 

maps and charts make a show of learning. 

5 



PREFACE 



The closing week of a siege is given to lec- 
tures on the Sabbath question — urging that 
the seventh day of the week only ought to 
be kept as holy. 

They usually succeed in bewildering and 
misleading a few good, honest, earnest 
Christians of the different Churches, who 
are frightened at the thought of habitually- 
desecrating the Sabbath. The converts to 
the dogma are then led away to the most 
convenient Jordan and immersed. These 
are the fruits of their labors, the sinners 
saved by their ministry. 

Having realized the object for which they 
labor, they leave their proselytes without 
pastoral oversight and hasten to other fields, 
to pass through the same routine of per- 
formances. 

Christians, once unsettled and drawn 
away from the fellowship of the Churches 
in which they were converted, are left out- 



PREFACE. 7 

side the fold to be buffeted by the eiiem)% 
and to lose their piety and their confi- 
dence in the people to whom they are in- 
debted for all the religious instruction they 
have ever received. 

While we have many excellent books on 
the Sabbath, none of them have been writ- 
ten with special reference to that feature of 
the subject discussed in this essay. And 
none are in a cheap and suitable form for 
general circulation among the people who 
need instruction on the subject. 

Young ministers and laymen of the 
Church have sent many orders to our Book 
Depository for books, pamphlets, or tracts 
on this feature of the Sabbath questions. 
To meet such want this little book has been 
written, with an earnest prayer for God's 
blessing upon it. 

The reader will find in convenient form 
the writings of holy men of God whose 



8 PREFACE. 

testimony is entitled to the fullest confi- 
dence. No man can impeach the wit- 
nesses who give us the history of the 
Church from the day that our Lord rose 
from the dead, down through the centu- 
ries. These evidences that the Lord's day, 
by divine direction, superseded the Jew- 
ish Sabbath, it is confidently believed, will 
be considered by the candid reader as un- 
answerable. 

A spirit of controversy has been studi- 
ously avoided. Victory in debate is an 
achievement for which he cherishes no am- 
bition. Truth is more precious than the 
plaudits of man. Having received a knowl- 
edge of what God has said, it is a duty to 
communicate to others. 

H. C. BENSON. 
San Francisco, Cal. 



CONTENTS. 



I. 

Page. 
Preliminary Examination, ii 



II. 

The Institution of the Jkwish Sabbath, . . 17 

III. 

Additional Reasons for keeping the Jewish 
Sabbath, 25 

IV. 

Our Lord Taught by Precept and Example, 28 

V. 
The Lord's Day, 34 

VI. 

The Jewish Sabbath abolished, ....... 45 

9 



lo CONTENTS. 

VII. 

Page. 

Historical Evidences, 53 

VIII. 



Facts and Inferences, 62 j 



IX. 
Conclusions, 68 



The Lord's Day. 



dl\aj)tef I. 

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF THE BIBLE 
RECORD, 

nr^HE term Sabbath is Hebrew, and sig- 
nifies rest, nothing more. In the his- 
tory of the creation, as given by Moses, we 
learn that God wrought six da}^s and then 
rested, and haUowed the period of rest. 
The days of creation were, doubtless, in- 
definite periods, and not diurnal revolutions 
of the earth uj)on its axis. God's two Bi- 
bles, Nature and Revelation, are equally 
divine; they do not, can not antagonize 
eacli other. Holy men in the olden time 

spake and wrote as they were moved by 

II 



12 THE LORD'S DAY. 

the Holy Spirit ; their records are infalhbly 
correct. The strata of earth, rocks, and fos- 
sils have, also, tongues with which to de- 
clare the power, majesty, and glory of God, 
as revealed in the processes of creation. 

In conceding this much to science we do 
not abate one jot or tittle of our confidence 
in the written word. Unnumbered ages, 
centuries, and cycles may have elapsed 
after the work of creation was commenced 
before the earth was in readiness for man's 
occupancy. The garden in Eden being 
prepared, man was formed, a companion 
was given him, and the work of creation 
was completed. Then, as the record reads, 
God rested from labor and hallowed the 
day. It was the seventh period in the 
world's histor}^ and the first day in the 
history of the race. 

If Adam kept a calendar in his Eden 
home, he doubtless made his own first day 



PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION. 1 3 

the date-period, since he could have no 
method of computing the indefinite peri- 
ods while matter was in chaos w^th dark- 
ness brooding over it. No importance, 
however, can possibly attach to the ques- 
tion, since no day was intrinsically holy. 
The ordinance could require no more than 
that man should labor six days and rest 
on the seventh. The day kept is holy 
because of the act of obedience ; and the 
moral quality of the act, as in all cases, is 
found in the intention. 

With the race increased and dispersed to 
the ends of the world, men residing in 
all latitudes, and on every meridian of lon- 
gitude of the globe, it is utterly impossi- 
ble for all to keep the same hours as holy, 
dating time at the ancient Eden, and count- 
ing the days from tlie dawn of the first Sab- 
bath after the world was made. 

Even with the best intentions to keep 



14 THE LORD'S DAY. 

the same day as holy, it is sometimes found 
to be impracticable. A historical fact will 
illustrate our meaning. When English sail- 
ors first visited Pitcairn's Island in the 
South Pacific Ocean, they arrived on Sat- 
urday, and found the people, with John 
Adams at their head, keeping the Sabbath. 
It was Sunday according to the calendar 
on the Island. How is this difference of 
time accounted 'for ? Very easily and sat- 
isfactorily. Travehng East or West, fifteen 
degrees of longitude makes a difference of 
one hour in time. Those who first discov- 
ered Pitcairn's Island were going eastward 
from Tahiti to the West Indies. Some of 
the ship's crew remained on the Island, 
counting time according to their own cal- 
endar and makino" no allowance for the va- 
nation caused by longitude. The English 
soldiers were going West, keeping time 
according to their own calendar without re- 



PRELIMIMARY EXAMINATION. I 5 

gard to longitude. On shipboard it was Sat- 
urday ; on the shore it was Sunday. Who 
was accurate as to the day of the week? 
The answer is', both were right ; since the 
days of the week had been accurately 
counted, and the seventli day (Sunday) was 
observed by each party. The command 
was literally obeyed, and God, doubtless, 
accepted the service rendered. 

After the world's seventh period and 
man's first day was hallowed, there is no 
mention of the Sabbath for a period of 
about twenty-five centuries. No mandate 
for its observance had been recorded by 
Moses. Time, however, was divided into 
periods of seven days, or weeks, which was 
evidently by divine appointment. And 
since there is found an imperative demand 
or necessity for a regular and stated period 

of rest, equal to one day in every week — 
one-seventh portion of time — and since 



1 6 THE LORD'S DAY. 

Christ declared with emphasis that, ''the 
Sabbath was made for man," we may le- 
gitimate!)^ infer that the patriarchs were 
instructed, both as to its necessity and 
man's duty to observe it faithfuhy. Those 
who violate God-given law, physical, phys- 
iological, or moral,' must suffer the penalty. 
Transgression and suffering are inseparable. 
''The soul that sins shall die," is an ex- 
ceedingly comprehensive proposition, and 
true evermore. 



THE JEWISH SABBATH. 1/ 



dtia-ptef II. 

THE INSTITUTION OF THE JE WISH SABBA TH 

T^HE exodus from bondage was a thrill- 
■^ ingly interesting event in the history 
of the Israelites. During the centuries of 
their captivity it is not probable that they 
were permitted to observe the patriarchal 
Sabbath. It is possible that they may have 
become bewildered even as to the day to 
be observed, but God knew ; he never failed 
to keep a faithful record, and his calendar 
w^as infallibly correct. 

After a series of miracles, and sore judg- 
ments upon the Egyptians, the King was 
ready to dismiss the Hebrew people. The 
Passover was instituted. Its ceremonies 
occupied seven days. We can not deter- 
mine certainly the day of the week when 



1 8 THE LORD'S DAY. 

it closed. The paschal lamb was slain and 
eaten on the night of the 14th day of the 
first month; on the morning of the 15th 
day the children of Israel went out of Ram- 
eses, a mixed multitude, six hundred tliou- 
sand souls, led forth by ''a high hand and 
an outstretched arm." " It was probably on 
the sixth day of the week, Friday. It 
could not have been on the seventJi da}% as 
that was the Patriarchal Sabbath. God 
would not have his people enter upon a 
long and laborious journey on that day 
which he himself had hallowed. He could 
not sanction its desecration. They traveled 
fifteen miles and camped at Succoth. They 
doubtless offered sacrifices and returned 
devout thanks to God for their wonderful 
deliverance. The presumption is strong 
that a day, the Sabbath, was spent at Suc- 
coth, but the record does not say so. 

Continuing their journey into the wilder- 



THE JEWISH SABBATH. I9 

ness, at the end of a month from their de- 
parture from Egypt, on the 15th day of 
the second month, they reached the ''wil- 
derness of Sin, which is between EHm and 
Sinai." The reader w^iU please note the 
day, the 15th of the month, and that it was 
not the Sabbath, since they had made a reg- 
ular day's journey on that day, and God 
brought quails out of the wilderness to 
feed them on that day. The reader will 
please consult with special care Exodus 
xvi, 1-30. 

In this chapter we have an historical ac- 
count of the institution of the Jewish Sab- 
bath. The manna fell" on the morning of 
the i6th, and fell regularly for six consec- 
utive nights. On the morning of the 22d 
of the month, as Moses had foretold them, 
there was no manna. It was the Sabbath. 
Had it been on the day of the Patriarchal 
Sabbath, the seventh day preceding (which 



20 THE LORD^S DAY. 

was the 15th day of the month) would also 
have been the Sabbath ; but, as the record 
show^s, the fifteenth day, just one week pre- 
vious to the day on which no manna was 
found, was a secular day. Had it been holy, 
the pillar of cloud would have hovered 
over the camp, and the people would have 
remained in their tents all day. Now one 
of two hypotheses must be true: either this 
Sabbath in the Wilderness of Sin is a neiv 
institution, or the day of the Patriarchal 
Sabbath was changed. That it was a Jew- 
ish Sabbath da)% ordained for a specific pur- 
pose, is evident from the record. 

The people had murmured against Mo- 
ses and Aaron. God, by a miracle, gave 
them food. The manna fell six days and 
then was withheld, to convince the people 
that God was able to provide for them. 
He who had brought them out of bondage 
would feed them. The Sabbath was com- 



THE JEWISH SABBATH. 21 

memorative of their deliverance. Tiiis was 
its leadino' characteristic. We turn to the 
record. See Deuteronomy v, I1-15. 

*^Thou shalt not take the name of the 
Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will 
not hold him guiltless that taketh his name 
in vain. Keep tlie Sabbath day to sanctify 
it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded 
thee. Six da}^s thou shalt labor and do all 
thy work: But the seventh day is the Sab- 
bath of the Lord thy God ; in it thou shalt 
not do any Avork, thou, nor thy son, nor 
thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy 
maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, 
nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that 
is within thy gates ; that thy manservant 
and thy maidservant ma}^ rest as well as 
thou. And remember that thou w^ast a ser- 
vant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord 
thy God brought thee out thence through 
a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm; 



22 THE LORD'S DAY. 

therefore, the Lord thy God commanded 
thee to keep the Sabbath da\\" .' 

The Decalosfue is here recited witli this 
significant variation : Tlie reason for ob- 
serving the Patriarchal .Sabbath, as en- 
graved on the table of stone which Moses 
brought down from the mountain, is omit- 
ted. Another reason for the observance of 
the Sabbath is assigned. The people are 
reminded of their sore captivity, and God's 
goodness in breaking their fetters and lead- 
ing them out of Eg3^pt. ''Therefore \_de- 
cause he did this], the Lord th}^ God com- 
manded thee to keep the Sabbath day." A 
logical form is given to the argument. Dr. 
Clarke, in his commentary, notes the phrase- 
ology used, and speaks of a change of 
the day, which, it is supposed, occurred at 
the exodus. Some suppose the Patriarchal 
Sabbath was changed from the first (Sun- 
day) to the seventh (Saturday). It is well- 



THE JEWISH SABBATH. 23 

nio-li certain that the exodus was on the 
sixth da\^ of the week, which was comn:iem- 
orated as the Sabbath in the ''Wilderness 
of Sin," which, occurring at the end of ever\^ 
period of six days of labor, was afterwards, 
almost of necessity, called the, seventh day. 
That there was either a change of the day 
or that a new (Jewish) Sabbath was insti- 
tuted is evident. s. 

In his notes on Deuteronomy, v, 15, Dr. 
Clarke says: ''The day (Sabbath) now be- 
came a twofold memorial." It was a me- 
morial of deliveran.ee as well as of creation. 
The historical record in Exodus and in 
Deuteronomy is so explicit that we are not 
left in doubt as to the fact that the Sab- 
bath, as observed in the Wilderness of 
Sin, had not been a day hallowed of the 
Lord previous to that time. There had 
been, we doubt not, a Patriarchal Sabbath, 
but on another dav of the w^eek. 



24 THE LORD^S DAY. 

In two months after the manna com- 
menced faUing, the Israelites pitched their 
tents in the shadow of Sinai. Moses went 
up into the mountain to talk with God. 
He came down with the law engraved on 
tables of stone. The Decalogue was given : 
the fourth commandment contained the law 
of the Sabbath. It is a day of rest and a 
memorial of the work of creation, at the 
completion of which God rested, hallowing 
the day. The deliverance from captivity 
is not mentioned. The day of the Jewish 
Sabbath, however, was retained, the two 
Sabbaths were blended and kept on the 
same day. The twofold memorial was kept, 
the Patriarchal day dropping back to the 
time of the Jewish Sabbath, which was 
to be kept as long as the dispensation 
continued. 



THE JEWISH SABBATH. 2$ 



dVaptef III. 

ADDITIONAL REASONS FOR KEEPING THE 
JE WISH SABBA TH. 

'^ I "'HE fourth commandment in the Dec- 
alogue recites the reason for keeping 
the day holy — because God wrought six 
days and rested on the seventh. The Is- 
raeUtes had other reasons for keeping holy- 
day. Let us turn to Exodus xxxi, 13, 17. 
''Verily, my Sabbaths 3^e shall keep; for it 
is a sign between me and you throughout 
your generations ; that ye may know that I 
am the Lord that doth sanctify you. . . . 
It is a sic^n between me and the children 
of Israel forever." It was accepted and 
observed with such understanding of its 
purport and obligation. It Avas a memo- 
rial of the goodness and faithfulness of their 



26 THE LORD'S DAY. 

covenant-keeping God. He remembered 
them and extended to them his deliverance 
from peril and suffering. 

It was also typical in its character. It 
was a type of Canaan, the land of prom- 
ise, s)^mbolizing the rest and rich fruition 
awaiting them when their pilgrimage should 
terminate and their enemies should be sub- 
dued. It was also t3^pical of the Gospel 
dispensation when the rites, ceremonies and 
costly sacrifices of ritualistic worship should 
be superseded by the simple and spiritual 
worship of God. The Sabbath was also 
typical, too, of the heavenly Canaan, the 
eternal rest of heaven. Hence the apostle 
says, Hebrews iv, i-ii: '' Let us therefore 
fear, lest, a promise being left us of enter- 
ing into his rest, any of you should seem 
to come short of it. For if Jesus had 
given them rest, then would he not after- 
ward have spoken of another day. There 



THE JEWISH SABBATH. 2/ 

remaineth therefore, a rest to the people of 
God. For he that is entered into his rest, 
he also hath ceased from his own works, 
as God did from his. Let us labor there- 
fore to enter into that rest, lest any man 
fall after the same example of unbelief." 
Thus it is that the law was our school- 
master to bring us to Christ. The spiritual 
designs of the Sabbath center in Christ. 
With the introduction of the Gospel, the 
spiritual Church of God, with its simple 
forms of worships, was divested of the old 
garments wdiich had served their purpose 
and ceased to be valuable. No marvel that 
the Lord's day should be stripped of all 
that was Israelitish or Hebraistic. 



28 THE LORD'S DAY. 



dVaptef IV. 

OUJ^ LORD TAUGHT BY PRECEPT AND 
EXAMPLE. 

TESUS frequently went into the temple 
on the Sabbath day to read the Scrip- 
tures and to ask and answer questions. He 
sought to instruct the people in the proph- 
ecies which foretold his advent and the 
character of his mission. He was a Jew, 
and, under the law, rendering perfect obe- 
dience in all things. 

Wherever the multitudes were assembled 
the Master went also, to preach the Word 
and to make known the truths of his own 
spiritual kingdom. He wrought many of 
his miracles in the presence of the people 
on the Jewish Sabbath day. He doubtless 
chose that day that his worlcs might dial- 



PRECEPT AND EXAMPLE. 29 

lenge attention. In the deeds he per- 
formed were proofs of his divinity. On 
the Sabbath and at the temple the learned 
might be present as witnesses to the gen- 
uineness of his miracles. 

The Jewish doctors were tenacious for 
the literal observance of the fourth com- 
mandment without comprehending its spir- 
itual purport. The Master sought to correct 
their erroneous teachings, and to impart to 
them the truth in its simplicity. He per- 
formed certain deeds on the day which was 
accounted holy, giving great offense. In 
his defense he stated two important propo- 
sitions, wdiich cover the whole ground: 
''The Sabbath was made for man, and not 
man for the Sabbath : therefore the Son of 
man is Lord also of the Sabbath." 

This statement of our Lord is exceed- 
ingly comprehensive. It embraces the 
whole family of man, from the first pair in 



30 THE LORD'S DAY. 

their Eden home to the last that shall live 
on the earth. All require the rest for the 
bod)% soul, and spirit. The bones, mus- 
cles, brain, and nerves must have rest ; the 
intellect must cease to labor and have a 
Sabbath; the moral faculties are entitled to 
a seventh portion of our time in which to 
meditate in the law of the Lord, and to 
hold communion with the Father of Spir- 
its — a season for worship. The Son of 
man, who is Lord of the Sabbath, has au- 
thority to define and expound the law ; this 
he has done by precept and by example. 
''It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath,'' 
to perform acts of mercy and necessity- 
he has given us no license, or permission, 
to serve m.ammon or self, in business or 
pleasure-seeking. 

Rest is the primary meaning of the term 
used to indicate the duty. It is not to be 
a fast, or a burden, or a restraint. We 



PRECEPT AND EXAMPLE. 3I 

are not to feed on ''bitter herbs," but to 
be joN'ful, serv'Ing- the Lord with gladness, 
seeking refreshment and vigor to prepare 
us for the duties of the coming week. 

The Lord, in performing works of mercy 
and necessity, gave grievous offense to the 
Pharisees and doctors of the kiw, wdio, in 
turn, were instructed by him. See Mat- 
thew xii, 5: ''Have ye not read in the 
law how that on the Sabbath days the 
priests in the temple profane the Sabbath 
and are blameless?" Matthew xii, I : "At 
that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day 
through the corn; and his disciples Avere 
an hungered, and began to pluck the ears 
of corn, and to eat." Matthew xii, ii: 
"What man shall there be among you, that 
shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a 
pit on the Sabbath ^day, will he not lay 
hold on it, and lift it out? . . Where- 
fore it is lawful to do well [/. e. to heal and 



32 THE LORD'S DAY. 

save life] on the Sabbath days." Jesus ac- 
cepted the moral law as given in the Dec- 
alogue, in its essence, when properly un- 
derstood. 

In the summaries of the law, as found in 
the Gospels, the fourth commandment is not 
mentioned. See Mattliew xvi, 16-24; Mat- 
thew xxii, 36-40. The Sabbath is not spe- 
cifically named, and yet whoever loves God 
supremely and his neighbor as himself, will 
obey God faithfully in all other duties. 
The greater certainl}^ includes the less. 
The Sabbath, as kept by the Jews, was a 
task, a burden, and oppressive ; while 
much of that which was authorized in the 
word was limited to that people, and could 
not be binding under the Gospel dispensa- 
tion. Hence, while Jesus taught w^ith bold- 
ness and divine authority the truths of his 
own everlasting Gospel, he never once 
enjoined upon his disciples the observance 



PRECEPT AND EXAMPLE. 33 

of the Jewish Sabbath; nor did he ever 
rebuke any one for desecrating that day, 
which the rabbis regarded as pecuharly 
holy. 



34 ^ THE LORD'S DAY. 



THE LORD'S DAY. 

/^"^ UR Lord's crucifixion was the closing 
act in the old dispensation ; his res- 
urrection ushered in the new dispensation. 
On the cross Jesus had cried, ''It is fin- 
ished!" The sacrifice offered, once for all, 
was accepted; the ransom price was paid, 
and the race was redeemed. Ceremonial 
worship then ceased, and the ritualistic serv- 
ice, like a worn-out garment, was cast aside. 
The crucifixion was on the sixth day, Fri- 
day, and the resurrection of our Lord was 
on tlie first day of the week — our Sunday. 
It was the crowning act in God's saving 
scheme of mercy, hence it became an ep- 
och or date-period in the Church of Christ, 
as contradistinguis^hed from the Church of 



THE LORD'S DAY. 35 

the Old Testament. On the morning of that 
glorious fii'st day, the Sun of righteousness 
poured a flood of h'ght upon the sin-cursed 
world. The shadows disappeared, the twi- 
Hght was gone, and the promises which had 
given hope and courage to patriarchs and 
prophets became a glorious realization. 

*'On the first day of the week" the 
risen Lord appeared, first to the women, 
and next to them to the disciples; and then 
to the two brothers who were on their 
way to Emmaus, explaining to them the 
Scriptures which foretold the crucifixion, 
causing their hearts to burn within them. 
The last interview of that momentous day 
is recorded by John xx, 19-22: *^Then 
the same day at evening, being the first 
day of the week, when the doors Avere shut 
wliere the disciples were assembled for fear 
of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the 
midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto 



36 THE LORD'S DAY. 

you. And when he had so said, he showed 
unto them his hands and his side. Then 
were the disciples glad, when they saw the 
Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace 
be unto you : as my Father hath sent me, 
even so send I you. And when he had said 
this, he breathed on them, and saith unto 
them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." Four 
times on that glorious day did Jesus appear 
to his beloved disciples, imparting to them 
the Holy Ghost — a fresh anointing for the 
Avork of the ministry to which they had 
been called. 

He was not seen aoain till the week had 
passed — no revelation of himself on the 
seventh day; but again on the ^' first day," 
as he evidently had signified his purpose to 
meet with his disciples when assembled for 
worship, he came. See John xx, 26 : 
''And after eight days again his disciples 
were within, and Thomas with them : then 



THE LORD'S DAY. 37 

came Jesus, the doors being* shut, and 
stood in the midst, and said. Peace be unto 
you." These Sunday evening interviews 
occurred Avhere Christians were assembled 
for worship. Had they not been divinely 
guided, they, doubtless, would have met 
on the seventh day. But, so far as we can 
learn from the Gospels, Jesus never once 
appeared to the Jews, or any other wor- 
shiping congregation on the seventh day. 
He gave no shadow of approval to the Jew- 
ish Sabbath. It was dead, utterly abol- 
ished forever. 

The next notable event in the record, 
bearing on this question, was the Pentecost. 
This also occurred on the first day of the 
week. See Leviticus xxiii, 15, 16. The 
disciples were all w^ith one accord in one 
place, waiting for the gift of the Comforter, 
which Jesus had promised to send, to abide 
with his disciples forever. And while de- 



38 THE LORD'S DAY. 

voutly supplicating before the throne of 
mercy, their prayers" were heard. Acts ii, 
2—4: ** And suddenly there came a sound 
from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, 
and it filled all the house where. they were 
sitting. And there appeared unto them clo- 
ven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon 
each of them. And they were all filled 
with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak 
with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them 
utterance." In this marvelous outpouring 
of the Holy Spirit on tlie infant Church on 
the day of its birth, God gave it the seal of a 
perpetual Sabbath. Peter, to whom Christ 
had given the keys of his kingdom, and on 
whom he had breathed, then fully entered 
upon his work as a Gospel minister. Three 
thousand souls were converted and added to 
the Church as fruits of his first sermon. 

The record thus far is most significant. 
I. The Lord vanquished the powers of 



THE LORD'S DAY. 39 

darkness and came forth triumphant on the 
first day of the week. 2. He appeared on 
four separate occasions to his disciples on 
that day. 3. He did not appear to them 
during the week, but met them again in the 
evening of the ''first day" of the second 
week. 4. On the first day of the week he 
imparted to them the gift of the Holy 
Spirit. 5. He poured out the Holy Spirit 
at the Pentecost on the first da}^ of the 
week, giving the blessed baptism of the 
Spirit and of power on that day. His 
Church w^as, indeed, installed and equipped 
for its work on that glorious Lord's day. 
6. The Word gives no account of his visit 
to any people, after his resurrection, to 
impart any spiritual gift, on any other day 
than ihQ first, or Lord's day. 

That the first day of the week was, from 
the beginning, set apart for the celebration 
of public worship and the administration 



40 THE LORD'S DAY. 

of the sacraments is so clearly and con- 
clusively established that no well-informed 
and candid person will attempt to contro- 
vert it. And as it would not be practica- 
ble for Christians to keep two days for pub- 
lic worship, the seventh day was not kept 
as holy by Christians after Jesus came forth 
from the sepulcher. As the disciples Avere 
unanimous in keeping the Lord's day, and 
there was no controversy in regard to the 
change, it is onl}^ mentioned incidentally 
b}^ the apostles. 

The record is quite sufficient to establish 
all that is required to show apostolic usage 
in the premises. Paul's visit to Troas is in 
point. Acts XX, 6, "] \ '' And we sailed away 
from Philippi after the days of unleavened 
bread, and came unto them to Troas in five 
days : where we abode seven days. And 
upon the first day of the week, when the 
disciples came together to break bread, 



THE LORD'S DAY. 4I 

Paul preached unto them, ready to depart 
on the morrow; and continued his speech 
until midnight." He was a minister of 
Christ, going to Troas to preach the Gos- 
pel to the Church. Arriving there in five 
days, he waited six days; and when the dis- 
ciples met for worship on the first day of 
the week, Paul preached to them, and next 
morning went on his journey. Had the 
disciples met for worship on the seventh 
day he would assuredly have preached 
to them. Had they regarded Saturday as 
holy there would have been a religious as- 
sembly and worship. 

Meeting on the first day of the week, 
the Scriptures were read, a discourse w^as 
delivered, the disciples joined in prayer, the 
Lord's-supper was celebrated, a collection 
was taken for the relief of poor saints, and 
the services were closed. The hypocritical 
Jews would not make contributions on the 



42 THE LORD'S DAY. 

Sabbath, but the Master taught his disci- 
ples that '' it was lawful to do well" on that 
day, especially in performing acts of mercy. 
Hence we read, i Cor. xvi, i, 2: ''Now con- 
cerning the collection for the saints, as I 
have given order to the Churches of Galatia, 
even so do ye. Upon the first day of the 
week let every one of you lay by him in 
store, as God hath prospered him, that 
there be no gatherings when I come." 

The phrase, '' Lord's Day," which oc- 
curs in the first chapter of the book of 
'Revelation, is entitled to much considera- 
tion. We turn to the record and read. 
Revelation i, 9-1 1 : ''I John, who also am 
your brother and companion in tribula- 
tion, and in the kingdom and patience of 
Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called 
Patmos, for the Word of God, and for the 
testimony of Jesus Christ. I w^as in the 
spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind 



THE LORD'S DAY. 43 

me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, 
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the 
last : and. What thou seest, write in a 
book, and send it unto the seven Churches 
which are in Asia." John, the beloved 
disciple, who leaned on the breast of Jesus 
at the Supper, was now an exile on Pat- 
mos, a httle island in the Mediterranean 
Sea. The seven Churches in Asia had 
been bitterly persecuted. The congrega- 
tions had been broken up, and the scat- 
tered disciples had sought refuge in the 
dens and caves of the earth. They were 
cast down, but not destroyed, they still 
had faith in the Lord. 

John counted the days as they passed 
while in banishment from the altars where 
he had so devoutly worshiped. The Lord's 
day dawned upon him. He remembered 
the place of prayer, and his suffering breth- 
ren. He was in the spirit with his afflicted 



44 THE LORD'S DAY. 

brethren, knowing that at the regular hour 
on that day they would offer earnest pray- 
er to God. While looking up, the veil 
was lifted and he had a glorious vision. 
He saw the Lord walkinsr in the midst of 
the golden candlesticks. His hand was 
over his ministers and he was taking care 
of the Churches. He had heard and was 
answering the prayers of his disciples. It 
was eminently proper that John should 
should make a specific record of the day. 
It was the Lord's day, the day for regular 
public worship. It w^as holy time, hal- 
lowed by the Lord when he vanquished 
the enemy. Such manifestation of good- 
ness was a verification of Christ's own 
words to be with those who are met in his 
name. John and his scattered brethren 
were met in spirit. 



THE JEWISH SABBATH ABOLISHED. 45 



d^aptef VI. 

THE JEWISH SABBATH ABO'lISHED. 

'nr^HE Jewish dispensation having termi- 
■^ nated, all the rites, ceremonies, nad 
ritualistic services of the Mosaic polity dis- 
appeared. Old things passed away and all 
things became new. Fasts, feasts, and 
holy days, having served their purposes, 
were no longer observed. 

The recognition of the seventh day as 
holy was inseparable from the synagogue 
service, and if observed w^ould prove a snare 
and a temptation to believers in Christ ; 
hence a change of the day for Sabbath serv- 
ices was absolutely necessary. The Jew- 
ish converts, however, sometimes attempted 
to engraft Cliristianity upon Judaism, re- 
taining circumcision and seventh-day w^or- 



46 THE LORD'S DAY. 

ship 111 addition to the Lord's day service 
and the sacrament of the Lord's-supper. 
Such poHcy, however, Avas condemned by 
the apostles, who warned beHevers not to 
become again entangled with the 3^oke of 
bondage. Paul is explicit in declaring that 
Jewish customs have no place in the Gos- 
pel system. In the epistle to the Colossi- 
ans, ii, 1 6, 17, he exhorts his brethren 
thus: ''Let no man therefore judge you in 
meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy 
day, or of the new moon, or of the Sab- 
bath : Which are a shadow of things to 
come ; but the tody is of Christ." What 
does ** Sabbath'' signify in this connec- 
tion? The term daN^s does not occur in 
the original. The Greek reads thus : '^ Mt] 
ODV Tc^ i)[m(; xpcvsTco ev ^pclxrec rj iu Tcoae:, 
7^ £V fjLSf)e: kopTVjc: Tj vouiiTjvlac:, 'fj aa^^drcov. 
'^^A earc g/m tcov [isXXovtmv, to dk (TWjua zoo 
XpccFTOi).'" The term Sabbath is found in the 



THE JEWISH SABBATH ABOLISHED. 47 

genitive case and plural number. But, be- 
cause it is plural, we are not warranted in 
assuming that any other day is meant than 
the day indicated in the commandment as 
holy. The genitive plural is the form used 
ordinarily in the Greek. See the Septua- 
gint, Exodus xx, 8, and 'qpApav aa^^drcou 
occurs. We turn to Deuteronomy v, 12, 
wdiere the Decalogue is recited, and find 
the genitive plural in the Greek occurs. 
The text in the epistle to the Colossians 
is precisely the same, except that 'fj[iepav 
does not occur. Supply it before aa^- 
^drcov, where it is a governing word, in 
the grammatical construction, in the sen- 
tence, and it is a verbal copy of the terms 
used in the decalogue. If Paul did not 
mean ''the day of the Sabbaths,'' or the 
Sabbath-day, it is unaccountable that he 
should have been so uno'uarded in his Ian- 
guage! Then this Jewish Sabbath or holy 



48 THE LORD'S DAY. 

day observed by the Israelites was a 
shadozv o{ the spiritual rest, or Lord's day, 
established after the resurrection of Christ. 
In the epistle to the Romans, xiv, 4, 5, 
Paul asks: ''Who art thou that judgest 
another man's servant? to his own master 
he standeth or falleth ; yea, he shall be 
holden up: for God is able to make him 
stand. One man esteemeth one day above 
another: another esteemeth ever}^ day alike. 
Let every man be fully persuaded in his 
own mind." Then, in writing to the Ga- 
latians the apostle reproves Christians be- 
cause of their Jewish practices, iv, 9-1 1 : 
'*But now, after that ye have known God, 
or rather are known of God, how turn ye 
again to the weak and beggarly elements, 
Avhereunto ye desire again to be in bond- 
age ? Ye observe days, and months, and 
times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest 
I have bestowed upon you labor in vain." 



THE JEWISH SABBATH ABOLISHED. 49 

To assume that all other holy days are 
spoken of, while the seventh day is ex- 
cepted, when no intimation of such excep- 
tion is given, is simply absurd. St. Paul 
would not use language which would be 
liable to mislead his brethren. He knew 
the force of the terms he employed in giv- 
ing instruction to the Churches. 

If it shall be claimed that the apostle's 
language would equally neutralize the re- 
quirement to keep the Lord's day, we 
answer that it assuredly would not. The 
Savior had said with emphasis that the 
rest, the Sabbath, was made for man — for 
the race. The obligation to keep a holy 
day was not questioned by Paul, or any 
disciple of Christ, but the practice of the 
apostles and all Christians had settled the 
question as to the day — it was the Lord's 
day. It was not intended to be commem- 
orative of the work of creation, nor of de- 



50 THE LORD^S DAY. 

liv^erance from captivity, but of tiie crown- 
ing act in the scheme of human redemption. 
In accordance with the view herein 
stated, it is well known that in the Acts 
of the Apostles, and in the epistles, no in- 
junction is recorded for the observance of 
the seventh-day, and no reproof is given 
for its desecration. For all acts of immo- 
rality the apostles were accustomed to ad- 
minister rebukes, nor did they spare the 
offender. The standard of morals was suffi- 
ciently exalted, and the wages of sin was de- 
clared to be death. Such was the preaching 
of St. Paul on every occasion. To know 
something of the offenses, the commission 
of which would exclude from heaven, 
we turn to the epistle to Galatians, v, 19- 
21, and read: ''Now the works of the 
flesh are manifest, which are these, adul- 
tery, fornication, uncleanness, lascivious- 
ness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, 



THE JEWISH SABBATH ABOLISHED. 5 I 

emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 
envyings, murders, drunkenness, revel- 
ings, and such hke: of the which I tell you 
before, as I have also told you in time past, 
that they which do such things shall not 
inherit the kingdom of God." In this cat- 
alogue of the deeds of the flesh, no Jewish 
ordinance, obligation, or ceremony is men- 
tioned, not even the seventh day as holy. 
And yet the Sabbath would stand promi- 
nent in the Jewish laAvs and ceremonies. 
But what of the Lord's day? The reg- 
ular meeting for worship w^as enjoined and 
faithfully observed. The believers were in- 
structed, ay, commanded, in regard to such 
duties. See Hebrews x, 23-25: ''Let us 
hold fast the profession of .our faith Avith- 
out wavering ; for he is faithful that prom- 
ised ; and let us consider one another to 
provoke unto love and to good works : Not 
forsaking the assembling of ourselves to- 



52 THE LORP'S DAY. 

gether, as the manner of some is ; but ex- 
horting one another : and so much the 
more, as ye see the day approaching." 
The perils of neglect and apostasy are 
clearly set forth. As a religious teacher 
Paul spake with authority, commanding 
obedience in the name of the Lord. But 
the term Sabbath was not used because of 
its associations as an Israelitish ordinance. 



HISTORICAL EVIDENCES. 53 



dl\aftef VII. 

» 

HISTORICAL EVIDENCES. 

T^HE Fathers, though not inspired, were 
the immediate successors of the apos- 
tles. They were converted under the min- 
istry of those who were called and commis- 
sioned by the Lord Jesus Christ. The old- 
est of them had been pupils of those holy 
men of God who wrote and preached as 
the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. They 
knew how the apostles lived, what they 
taught, and w^iat they practiced. They 
were not in doubt as to the day set apart 
for public worship, and for the celebration 
of the Christian sacraments. No men have 
ever lived w^ho could have been better qual- 
ified to give testimony in regard to the 
Christian Sabbath. We submit their testi- 



54 THE LORD'S DAY. 

mony in their own language. St. John, the 
last survivor of the ' ' twelve " commissioned 
by the Lord Jesus Christ, said: *' I was in 
the Spirit on the Lord's day.'' 

Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, A. D. lOi, 
only half a dozen years after the death of 
the Apostle John, speaks familiarly of the 
Lord's day, and says: '* Let us [Christians] 
no more Sabbatize [keep the Jewish holy 
day], but let us keep the Lord's day." 
'' Let every one that loves Christ keep holy 
the Lord's day, the queen of days, the res- 
urrection day, the highest of all days." 

Theophilus, a bishop, who lived a little 
later, says : ' ' Both custom and reason chal- 
lenge from us that Ave should honor the 
Lord's day, seeing tliat on that day our 
Lord Jesus completed his resurrection from 
the dead. " 

Justin Martyr, who was contemporary 
with Polycarp, a disciple of St. John, says: 



HISTORICAL EVIDENCES. 55 

** On the Lord's day all Christians, in the 
city or in the countr\", meet together, be- 
cause that is the day of our Lord's resur- 
rection, and then we read the writings of 
the apostles and prophets ; this being done 
the president delivers a discourse to the 
assembly to exhort them to imitate the 
things they have heard ; then we all join in 
prayer, and after that we celebrate the sac- 
rament. " The same writer further says: 
*' We all assemble in common on the day 
called Sunday, because it was on the first 
day that God, having changed darkness 
and chaos, made the world, and because on 
the same day Jesus Christ, our Savior, rose 
from the dead. For he was crucified the 
day before that of Saturn, and on the day 
after that of Saturn, which is the day of 
the Sun, he appeared unto his disciples and 
taught them what we now submit to your 
consideration.'' 



56 THE LORD'S DAY. 

Clement of Rome, who was born before 
our Lord's crucifixion, writing to the 
Church at Corinth, sa3^s : ''We ought to do 
in order all things which the Lord hath re- 
quired us to observe at stated times." 
That they did as the Lord and his apostles 
commanded them in regard to the Lord's 
day, or Christian Sabbath, is a legitimate 
inference. 

Irenaeus, a pupil of Polycarp, who Avas 
a disciple of St. John, says: ''On the 
Lord's day every one of us Christians keeps 
the Sabbath, meditating in the law and re- 
joicing in the works of God." 

Eusebius, who has been justly styled 
"the father of ecclesiastical history," and 
whose history of tlie Church during the 
first three centuries is a standard among all 
Christians, says: "From the beginning 
Christians assembled on the first day of the 
week, called by them the Lord's day, for 



HISTORICAL EVIDENCES. 5/ 

the purpose of religious worship, to read 
the Scriptures, to preach, and to celebrate 
the* Lord's-supper. '* 

Tertullian, who was born in Carthage, 
before the death of Poly carp, says: *' The 
apostles introduced nothing at their own 
discretion, but faithfully assigned to the 
people the discipline which they had re- 
ceived from Christ." He also sa3^s, ''The 
Lord's day is the Christian's solemnity." 

Origen, who was born A. D., 185, says 
of the Lord's day: ''If you cease from 
all Avorldly works, and execute nothing 
Avorldly, but give yourselves to spiritual 
exercises, repairing to Church, attending to 
sacred reading and instruction, . . this 
is the observance of the Christian Sabbath." 

When the first Christians were sorely 
persecuted, they were known by their ob- 
servance of the Lord's day. Hence the 
officer who went to arrest them would ask, 



S8 THE LORD'S DAY. 

*' Dominiami sej'vastiY' Hast thou kept the 
Lords day ?) If the believer was true to 
his religion lie would answer, *' Christianus 
sum ; mtermittere non possum /" (/ am a 
Christian; I can not omit it f) He could 
not neglect to keep the Christian Sabbath. 
Mosheim is a witness whose testimony 
no scholar will attempt to invalidate (see 
vol. I, page 45). In writing of the inter- 
nal condition of the Church during the sec- 
ond century he says : '^ All Christians were 
unanimous in setting apart the first day of 
the week, on which the triumphant Savior 
arose from the dead, for the solemn cele- 
bration of public worship. This custom, 
which was derived from the example of 
the Church at Jerusalem, was founded. upon 
the express appointment of the apostles, 
wlio consecrated that day to the same sa- 
cred purpose, and it was observed univer- 
sally throughout the Christian Church, as 



HISTORICAL EVIDENCES. 59 

appears from the testimony of the most 
credible writers." 

The witnesses quoted were the Fathers 
who Hved and gave their testimony in their 
writinos durinsf the first and second cen- 
turies, loner before the celebrated decree 
of Constantine legalizing the first day of 
the week as the Sabbath. Constantine w^as 
crowned emperor in the foiirtli century. 
His decree had no influence whatever in 
changing the day from the seventh to the 
first day. It was only giving legal form to 
an expression of the Christian faith, which 
was just as prevalent before Constantine's 
day as after it. To affirm that the emper- 
or's decree dates the origin of the Lord's 
day, or first day, as the Sabbath, is to af- 
firm what is false; such statement is in con- 
flict with w^ell authenticated history. 

Verv much additional testimionv mioht 
be adduced bv writers \\\\o lived in the 



6o THE LORD'S DAY. 

third, fourth, and fifth centuries — even 
down to the seventeenth century — while 
not a Christian writer of any note utters a 
single word in favor of observing the seventh 
day, or Saturday, as holy. 

In closing this chapter a quotation from 
the '' History of the Apostolic Church," by 
the eminent scholar and divine, Dr. Philip 
Schaff, is deemed fitting. He says: ''It 
is absolutely inconceivable that so impor- 
tant an institution as the Christian Sabbath 
could have come into perfectly universal 
observance in so short a time, supplanting 
the Jewish Sabbath, whicli had been en- 
joined by the Mosaic Decalogue, without 
the sanction of the apostles!" And so 
will all thoughtful and well informed schol- 
ars say Avith emphasis. 

One more quotation: '*That the apos- 
tles and early Christians should of their 
own accord abandon the seventh day, and 



HISTORICAL EVIDENCES. 6l 

institute the first as a day holy to the Lord, 
would be to suppose that their Master had 
permitted them to violate the order of his 
own house, and to teach for doctrines the 
commandments of men." 



62 THE LORD'S DAY. 



di|kptei^ VIII. 

FACTS AND INFERENCES, 

1. The apostles frequently attended the 
synagogue services, as it gave them an op- 
portunity to read and expound tlie Scrip- 
tures. Tlieir presence was no more a con- 
cession to Judaism in regard to the Sab- 
bath than it was a concession to the Jews 
Avho rejected Christ. 

2. In the latter part of the fourth cen- 
tury there were Christians who kept Satur- 
day and Sunday both as holy, giving the 
preference to the latter, which was the day 
of worship on which the sacraments were 
administered. Saturday was a day of prep- 
aration. 

3. During the first centuries of the 
Christian Church there was unanimity of 



FACTS AND INFERENCES. 6^ 

belief, and uniformity of practice in regard 
to the sanctity of the Lord's day, while the 
observance of the seventh was not taught 
by precept or example. 

4. There is not a text of Scripture in the 
Acts, or the epistles of the apostles, en- 
joining as a duty the observ^ance of the 
seventh day, nor is there a word of rebuke 
for those who failed to keep it holy. Is 
it not preposterous to assume that this 
utter silence in regard to an institution so 
prominent in the Jewish Church is acci- 
dental . and without significance? The 
Christians were earnestly exhorted to give 
diligent attention to the duties which were 
required of them. See Thessalonians iv, 
I, 2: ''Furthermore then we beseech }'Ou, 
brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Je- 
sus, that as ye have received of us how ye 
ought to walk and to please God, so ye 
would abound more and more. For ye 



64 THE LORD'S DAY. 

know what commandments we gave you 
by the Lord Jesus." These ''command- 
ments" were well understood by the disci- 
ples. They related to *' the assembling of 
themselves on the first day of the week" 
for worship, the sacraments and almsgiv- 
ing. Also see Acts xv, 24-29. The pure 
teaching and authority with which the ad- 
monitions and exhortations were given were 
sufficient. 

5. How is it possible to account for the 
fact that there was no controversy what- 
ever on the subject, unless we accept the 
hypothesis that the change of the day was 
made by the authority of the apostles? 

6. The few instances in which the 
Churches, composed of Jewish converts, 
did for a time keep the seventh day, re- 
taining circumcision and other Jewish or- 
dinances, do not in the slightest degree 
militate against the arguments in this es- 



FACTS AND INFERENCES. 6$ 

say, since the same Churches also admitted 
the sanctity of the Lord's day. 

7. Since the proof is conclusive that the 
Jewish Sabbath, as observed in the Wilder- 
ness of Sin, was not the Patriarchal Sab- 
bath, though it was regularly kept as holy 
after the law was given at Sinai, we have 
the divine approval, if not command, for 
one change of the day; and one having 
been made under divine approval, it can 
not be considered marvelous if, for cause, 
a second change of the day should occur, 
also under divine guidance — especially 
when the event to be commemorated is a 
thousand-fold more important than was the 
deliverance from Egyptian bondage ! 

8. If we accept the hypothesis that the 
departure from Egypt was on the sixth 
day, the day preceding the Patriarchal Sab- 
bath, which day was afterward observed 

and commemorated by the Jewish Sabbath, 

5 . 



66 THE LORD'S DAY. 

then the resurrection of our Lord, which 
was on the ''day after the Sabbath/' oc- 
curred on the original Patriarchal day — - 
the day hallowed of God when the work 
of creation w^as completed. The proof is 
well-nigh conclusive that this statement is 
correct, and yet it matters not, since noth- 
ing of importance attaches to it in this dis- 
cussion. 

9. It is enough to know that the ''Son 
of man is Lord of the Sabbath." The 
change, when made, had the divine ap- 
proval, since inspired men — ministers 
chosen by the blessed Master — sanctioned 
the change, and God's approval was mani- 
fested to them. 

10. The men most eminent for scholar- 
ship, piety, and devotion to the Church 
and cause of Christ during all the centuries 
since Jesus rose from the dead, have ac- 
cepted the Lord's day as the Christian Sab- 



FACTS AND INFERENCES. 6/ 

bath. They have not acted blindly in 
regard to a subject of such grave impor- 
tance. The dissentients have been less than 
one per cent. 

II. But, if living in sin during the past 
eighteen hundred years, how could God's 
blessing rest upon the ministers and 
Churches, bringing millions of penitent sin- 
ners to the cross of Christ? 

How could God give the seal of approval 
to men who live in open violation of the 
moral law ? Ignorance can not be pleaded 
in extenuation of the offense. There can 
be no doubt as to what God requires of 
his children. The Psalmist says : *' If I re- 
gard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will 
not hear me !" The persistent violation 
of God's commandment is certainly iniq- 
uity. And yet God hears the prayers of 
Christians and crowns their labors with glo- 
rious success in saving souls. 



68 THE LORD'S DAY. 



dl\k|)tef IX. ' 

CONCL USIONS. 

/^"^HRIST has taught us as to the au- 
thority and necessity of the Sabbath. 
The rest we must have or pay the penahy 
of violated laws. The body, the intellect, 
and the spirit demand a Sabbath. The ne- 
cessity for it will continue as long as the 
race exists on this earth, and as long as it is 
needful God will require us to observe it. 
Christ has taught us how to observe the 
day. Rest, refreshment of soul, body, and 
spirit ; worship, meditation in the law of 
the Lord, and suitable reading ; w^orks of 
mercy and of necessity — all these are law- 
ful. Labor, pleasure seeking, and traveling 
are certainly improper on the Lord's day. 
It is even possible to fill up all the day 



CONCLUSIONS. 69 

in active and laborious religious duties, so 
as to prove exhausting when the Sabbath 
has closed. Then the rest, which is a prime 
consideration of the institution, has not 
been realized. The minister labors on the 
Lord's day, yet he rests from the labors 
of his study in preparation for the pulpit. 
A minister may not prepare discourses for 
the pulpit on the Sabbath. This he^must 
do on the secular days of the week. If at 
any time the ox is in the ditch, without 
any neglect on his part, it may be lawful 
to pull him out. The preacher must have 
a day of rest every week, or pay the pen- 
alty of the violated law. 

Cheerfulness and relaxation from all the 
cares of business are certainly proper. 
The day should not be made darky nor bluCy 
nor disagreeable to the children of the 
family. It should be a season of gladness, 
which the parents can render it if they 



70 THE LORD'S DAY. 

will. The conversation and the reading 
should be of a character to render the day 
a delight to all, and profitable at the same 
time. Suitable instruction, in stories and 
conversation, will make the Sabbath bright 
and charming, the best of the week, *'the 
queen of days.'* 

If in any case there is a doubt as to the 
lawfulness or propriety of some desirable 
pursuit on that day which is holy, it is 
only safe to give conscience the benefit of 
the doubt and forego the pleasure. 



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